A matter of trust as Parkinson plots best way forward for Bradford City (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

I would have trusted him with anything but come on, Andy Gray?

How can we trust his team selection when our best players don't play and we don't win? If anything needs freshening up it's the midfield. Doyle looks shattered to me.

macca1969 wrote:
I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Where I feel sorry for Parkinson is that he tries to play the game the right way.

Too often, City have succumbed to the sucker punch against inferior sides; . not dealing with the dubious tactics employed.

I think that it is possible for this side to make up the gap but it is a case of playing to strengths (i.e. being the best football side in the division) whilst dealing with weaknesses (refusing to be beaten by gamesmanship).

Supporters have their favourites but it is not merely down to selection. More to do with formation and attitude. That might extend to picking up a few bookings but so what?

Andy Gray had a great last season with us first time round and quite rightly went onto play SUCCESSFULLY at a much higher level. Give the guy a break. You would think the penny would drop with some fans with the experience with Will Atkinson who most would have binned last season. Gray has played very little footy this season and hopefully will find some decent form

whisky1 wrote:
Andy Gray had a great last season with us first time round and quite rightly went onto play SUCCESSFULLY at a much higher level. Give the guy a break. You would think the penny would drop with some fans with the experience with Will Atkinson who most would have binned last season. Gray has played very little footy this season and hopefully will find some decent form

Slight difference between Atkinson and Gray. Will has his career in front if him and Gray is at the end of his and you can tell. No legs and no motivation

Alright he tried Gray v Daggers & it didn't work, so lets hope he's sees sence & gives Connell his well deserved and long awaited start, nows the time we needed a Richie Jones to give G Jones a rest, I would drop Reid for Atko + Darby r/b & Good l/b ie natural sides + Rory at c/b, feel sorry for McHugh cos it looks like he's down pecking after putting in a shift game after game, it will be intersesting to see which team Parky puts out v York, but I do hope he sticks with Jonny Mac.

their first shot on target !!??.......... they hit the bar at the bradford end in the first half which johnny mac got a hand to!

macca1969 wrote:

whisky1 wrote:
Andy Gray had a great last season with us first time round and quite rightly went onto play SUCCESSFULLY at a much higher level. Give the guy a break. You would think the penny would drop with some fans with the experience with Will Atkinson who most would have binned last season. Gray has played very little footy this season and hopefully will find some decent form

Slight difference between Atkinson and Gray. Will has his career in front if him and Gray is at the end of his and you can tell. No legs and no motivation

Well said Macca1969. I think whisky has had one too many.

Parkinson sums it up in this article-Parkinson said: “I thought James was excellent when he came on. He won every header and I was really pleased for him to get the goal.”
Fact -he won every header and he got a goal something Gray will not do. Connell before Gray every time as Gray is a waste of wages.

I think its really important that as fans we dont all start picking out individuals and subjecting them to criticism at each and every turn. Its frustrating to see the lads struggling to win a game at home and there are some definite failings with the current squad but we have to trust the manager to get it right. Some of his selections have been baffling to us lesser mortals and im not sure PP knows his best team to be honest. That being said we must make sure we move forward together and use the revenue created from the cup run to strengthen the club for the future. Promotion this season is not the be all and end all providing we act with intelligence in the summer. The manager needs to get his contract sorted quickly and then everybody can settle down and we can concentrate on the football for the next few years at least.

Not knocking the guy really but really don't know why we signed Gray.
He must be on a decent wage as well.
Just don't know where he would fit in and how he would improve the team if he plays.
Our biggest problem is goals and Wells was the only one who can score and he has slumped in form recently.

Just a thought and I'm not an experienced manager but how about Gray playing just behind the front two? Would mean 3-5-2 but with someone tasked with breaking from midfield we might get some support up to the front two. Just an idea.

To be fair to 'PP' Andy Gray had played at a much highr level and appeared to offer something to the squad. He still 'might' fit in-other players who've arrived haven't hit it off immediately eg Oliver/Duke.

What we could do with is someone who can get us a few goals. The midfield doesn't get too many and we really depend too much on Hanson-as we saw when he WASN'T playig on Wednesday.

It's time for Alan Connell to be given more of a chance, as Nahki seems a bit 'off the boil' just now. Again, to be fair, Nahki is a young lad and needs 'nurturing' NOT 'burning out' by over-playing as has happened to eg Sterling at Liverpool.

Basically, the fans DO trust 'PP' I think, and there's no question (or I sincerely hope not!!) of them 'turning on him!!'

This year may/more likely will not deliver promotion, but next, with most of this squad still in place and a few sensible acquisitions, could see us 'favourites' for 'automatic success.'

Hearts Bantam wrote:
Just a thought and I'm not an experienced manager but how about Gray playing just behind the front two? Would mean 3-5-2 but with someone tasked with breaking from midfield we might get some support up to the front two. Just an idea.

A job Connell is more than capable of!?

macca1969 wrote:
I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

macca1969 wrote:

whisky1 wrote: Andy Gray had a great last season with us first time round and quite rightly went onto play SUCCESSFULLY at a much higher level. Give the guy a break. You would think the penny would drop with some fans with the experience with Will Atkinson who most would have binned last season. Gray has played very little footy this season and hopefully will find some decent form

Slight difference between Atkinson and Gray. Will has his career in front if him and Gray is at the end of his and you can tell. No legs and no motivation

No legs or motivation? Is that you? You were an Atkinson critic - or have you forgotten that as well?

Andy D'urso is the ref tomorrow.

He was the ref who put in that disgraceful performance at Burton earlier in the season. It seems after every game he refs fans are left tearing his display to shreds.

Expect controversy tomorrow. I said the same thing before the Burton game and we got exactly that.

Our posts are beginning to look like the media's reporting of politics - all about personalities when the real issue is the structure and the system.

What's at fault is not the players on the park, but the lack of nous in the last third against teams which come to vp with a Rorke's Drift attitude to defend and play off the break.

4-4-2 just doesn't get to grips with solid well organised defences when the wide players we have can't get to the bye line and put in crosses. All the football we play is in the centre of the park and the number of players in the box when attacking in open play is
rarely more than two. Supply is hit and miss and through balls from mid-field on Wednesday night were never accurate enough to pick out a forward.

Rotating the team is fine after so many games played, but why the persistence with those who really do look as though they need a break? Doyle looks to be a shadow of his earlier season form, Reid has shown little since returning from injury and despite the debate about who is more effective up front, the way we play shows a return of just 1.5 goals per game, hardly a statistic that has promotion written all over it.

If the club does have a few pounds to spend after the cup run, a coach who has expertise in the attacking third of the park would be a good buy; otherwise it looks like goodbye to any promotion prospects this year. It's interesting to see that before the final, the club seemed happy with the progress made this season. Immediately afterwards we are back on the 'promotion is possible' bandwagon.

It's easy to get caught up in the hype. The club has done marvellously well this season to restore much needed confidence after struggling for years. We should applaud the restoration of discipline on the pitch, the quality of the defenders who have been brought in, either on contract or loan - they have been the successes along with Gary Jones and Doyle until his recent lack of form. Up front, the jury's still out on those who are seen as goalscorers. But, if any permutation from eight+ players can't find the net more regularly than 1.5 goals per game, then there are still serious challenges to be met.

The difference between Atkinson last year and Atkinson this year is that he was on loan 12 months ago (and therefore had no real incentive to impress) whilst this year he knows who is paying his wages.
This year most of the regulars including (Gray) are contracted to the club
Whether they are good enough to get us out of this division remains to be seen but 11th or 12th is exactly where they deserve to be based on performances so far (and I've seen most of the games - home and away)
Anyone who saw the performances at Rotherham, Dagenham, Wimbledon and the last few home games and then thinks these were just a blip becaue they remember successes in the earlier part of the season at home are deluding themslves.
Is Parkinson deluding himself also - or does he really believe the only reason we have not won the first 32 games is the cup run and dodgy refereeing (whih of course only effects City)

There is plenty of time but equally the whole thing could disappear down the pan in the next four matches.

More than ever, we have got to get behind them.

Dancinfeet wrote:

Hearts Bantam wrote:
Just a thought and I'm not an experienced manager but how about Gray playing just behind the front two? Would mean 3-5-2 but with someone tasked with breaking from midfield we might get some support up to the front two. Just an idea.

A job Connell is more than capable of!?

Beat me to it dancinfeet

In fact, it is something I would like to see employed and still use the two strikers. Leaving just one out of Doyle or Jones sitting in behind, giving us 5 attacking players and 5 defending players with the full backs pushing to assist the wide men.

Failing that, Atkinson coul dcome into the centre and be the forward guy of two CMs, Doyle and Jones whilst both being excellent are starting to fall over each other in there and a change may help the team shape.

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote:

whisky1 wrote: Andy Gray had a great last season with us first time round and quite rightly went onto play SUCCESSFULLY at a much higher level. Give the guy a break. You would think the penny would drop with some fans with the experience with Will Atkinson who most would have binned last season. Gray has played very little footy this season and hopefully will find some decent form

Slight difference between Atkinson and Gray. Will has his career in front if him and Gray is at the end of his and you can tell. No legs and no motivation

No legs or motivation? Is that you? You were an Atkinson critic - or have you forgotten that as well?

Wrong pleb again, never criticized will and in fact defended it, never wanted parky sacked as I have only ever asked for two managers to be sacked, if as you say you check the records you will see this. Problem is you just make things up and have no opinions. Back it up or shut up or even better meet me and I can shut you up permanently. By the way Andy Gray is past it and no longer a good player

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

I want promotion more than any city supporter this season, however given the fantastic season we've just had it would not be the end of the world waiting another season. After all this is our 6th season in League 2 (I think??) so one more wouldn't make a difference. and we can come back in August refreshed, with a few additions, and hopefully dominate the division. I haven't given up on this season, but as Parkin states I am just been slightly "pessimistic" ;-)

Michael Clayton wrote:

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

He won't because he can't, he also says dannbrad called for parky to be sacked also FALSE as dank like myself hate the continuing chopping and changing of managers. I checked all the archives from last year after disappointing results and the harshest comments I made were he was lucky to still be in a job with a performance like that. Now although negative and a criticism that was not me asking him to be sacked, only that after the results we had had and that performance other chairmen would and could have sacked him. I still am behind parky and the team he picks is down to him, that does not as a fan exclude me of an opinion that I think Gray is past it.

Mr Parkinson please please give Connell a start - he really must wonder why he came to VP. Hanson, Wells and Connell really did change the game on Weds but need longer 20 mins not long enough.

Hope you are reading this Mr Parkinson, didn't trust you last season but had changed my mind this but we are heading back to where we were - another season in Div 2.

agreed what has connell done wrong the fans want him to play come on parky get him playing more football please because gray is a waste of money .and every1 saying dont worry if dont get out of this league this season cos parky is building his squad but who to say wells or hanson or any of the other squad that have been excellent for us wont go at the end of the season then we are back to square 1.we need to get out of this league this season so please play your best team every time not bench them.they may be knackered but only 15 games to go then 7 or 8 wk off so please parky get us out of this league now.

macca1969 wrote:

Michael Clayton wrote:

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

He won't because he can't, he also says dannbrad called for parky to be sacked also FALSE as dank like myself hate the continuing chopping and changing of managers. I checked all the archives from last year after disappointing results and the harshest comments I made were he was lucky to still be in a job with a performance like that. Now although negative and a criticism that was not me asking him to be sacked, only that after the results we had had and that performance other chairmen would and could have sacked him. I still am behind parky and the team he picks is down to him, that does not as a fan exclude me of an opinion that I think Gray is past it.

Don't even try justify yourself mate, the guy is a twerp.

You have every right to be critical, negative and downright angry and you have the right to vent those feelings on here but the difference being, if you do you will be able to back your posts with reasons.(I'm not saying you are a negatron...not heard it for a while)

Keep em coming macca, may not always agree 100% with you but I always appreciate where you are coming from because you include your reasoning. As does Dan, waynus and a few other enlightened posters.

Prisoner Cell Block A wrote:

macca1969 wrote:

Michael Clayton wrote:

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

He won't because he can't, he also says dannbrad called for parky to be sacked also FALSE as dank like myself hate the continuing chopping and changing of managers. I checked all the archives from last year after disappointing results and the harshest comments I made were he was lucky to still be in a job with a performance like that. Now although negative and a criticism that was not me asking him to be sacked, only that after the results we had had and that performance other chairmen would and could have sacked him. I still am behind parky and the team he picks is down to him, that does not as a fan exclude me of an opinion that I think Gray is past it.

Don't even try justify yourself mate, the guy is a twerp. You have every right to be critical, negative and downright angry and you have the right to vent those feelings on here but the difference being, if you do you will be able to back your posts with reasons.(I'm not saying you are a negatron...not heard it for a while) Keep em coming macca, may not always agree 100% with you but I always appreciate where you are coming from because you include your reasoning. As does Dan, waynus and a few other enlightened posters.

So far your judgement on Gray is based on a handful of games..obviously somewhat premature? Forgive me personally i prefer Parkys judgement that he is a model pro and a great influence in the dressing room. You just carry on sticking the boot in may well be good motivation for the lad.

I really like the idea of Connell sitting behind the front two. Not only from an attacking perspective but also the pivot to the wide men and the holding midfielders.

whisky1 wrote:

Prisoner Cell Block A wrote:

macca1969 wrote:

Michael Clayton wrote:

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

He won't because he can't, he also says dannbrad called for parky to be sacked also FALSE as dank like myself hate the continuing chopping and changing of managers. I checked all the archives from last year after disappointing results and the harshest comments I made were he was lucky to still be in a job with a performance like that. Now although negative and a criticism that was not me asking him to be sacked, only that after the results we had had and that performance other chairmen would and could have sacked him. I still am behind parky and the team he picks is down to him, that does not as a fan exclude me of an opinion that I think Gray is past it.

Don't even try justify yourself mate, the guy is a twerp. You have every right to be critical, negative and downright angry and you have the right to vent those feelings on here but the difference being, if you do you will be able to back your posts with reasons.(I'm not saying you are a negatron...not heard it for a while) Keep em coming macca, may not always agree 100% with you but I always appreciate where you are coming from because you include your reasoning. As does Dan, waynus and a few other enlightened posters.

So far your judgement on Gray is based on a handful of games..obviously somewhat premature? Forgive me personally i prefer Parkys judgement that he is a model pro and a great influence in the dressing room. You just carry on sticking the boot in may well be good motivation for the lad.

I hope the fella proves me wrong but he came to us with only 10 minutes football this season,he has been here since January and we now have 14 games left of which imo we need 10 wins to make the play offs. I don't think we have time for him to regain fitness or form, so far he has proved to be a poor signing whether a model pro or not.

As Rafa Benitez would say Gray is crap FACT,!!!!!! Wells needs a rest ??? He is only 22 should be able to play all day. Only rotate if players are injured or are out of form, Andy Gray and Thompson up front, combined age of 65 and they play like it,

Whiskey I should hope you do prefer parky's opinio to mine, after all he is paid a small fortune for his opinion. But remember even managers make mistakes and poor signings, so far I take ut you are not than happy with Andy's performances

Michael Clayton wrote:
I really like the idea of Connell sitting behind the front two. Not only from an attacking perspective but also the pivot to the wide men and the holding midfielders.

May even replace the bursts into the box we have missed since Syers left.

His skill and vision in that hole would be tremendous in my opinion and he can also create for himself from there too.

Also, he will be the freshest player on the books, not even had a half season of game time and not been out through injury.

Gray himself has said he will need half a dozen games to regain full match fitness, we really do not have that time to spare. Maybe if he had come in the summer he would have been our top player with his recent experience, instead he came having played no full matches and having to chase fitness.

He was brought in to take the pressure off Hanson, I haven't seen Gray touch the ball with his head yet. None of the above is slagging him off, it is pointed matter of fact

How many shot's have we had at goal this season ? l reckon. we have may be 3 or 4 at the most...l would like to see us being more direct in our play and put pressure on the goal..and see the shot count go up to 10 per game..and maybe . just maybe the goals will come.....we can not play across the park all night and expect to win games....it may look nice......so lets narrow the game and attack in numbers down the middle and start shooting

Look's like Andy Gray is becoming City's new scapegoat,move over James Hanson! LOL

rattusrattus wrote:
Look's like Andy Gray is becoming City's new scapegoat,move over James Hanson! LOL

Can't really be a scapegoat and we can't really blame the lad himself, he hasn't had the games and without those under his belt he can't hope to compete, we can't afford for his fitness levels to get to that of others who have played all season.

Prisoner Cell Block A wrote:

rattusrattus wrote:
Look's like Andy Gray is becoming City's new scapegoat,move over James Hanson! LOL

Can't really be a scapegoat and we can't really blame the lad himself, he hasn't had the games and without those under his belt he can't hope to compete, we can't afford for his fitness levels to get to that of others who have played all season.

Gray seem's to be getting singled out for negative treatment on here, just like Hanson has had in the past! So therefore i would say that is the definition of a scapegoat!

Re Parkinson says Trust him We have trusted him and still do But Trust works both ways and one must earn that Trust Mr Parkinsons job is to gain us Promotion Nothing more Nothing less he cannot live on the cup run great has that was it is over (not forgotten) I Have always supported Parky but now he again asks for Trust fine but for. how long does he want this Trust I Would suggest what is left of this season must show a larger percentage of wins than up to now At the end of the day this is Mr Parkinsons team he has put it together the Players are his Players the time to Deliver is NOW i wish him luck

rattusrattus wrote:

Prisoner Cell Block A wrote:

rattusrattus wrote:
Look's like Andy Gray is becoming City's new scapegoat,move over James Hanson! LOL

Can't really be a scapegoat and we can't really blame the lad himself, he hasn't had the games and without those under his belt he can't hope to compete, we can't afford for his fitness levels to get to that of others who have played all season.

Gray seem's to be getting singled out for negative treatment on here, just like Hanson has had in the past! So therefore i would say that is the definition of a scapegoat!

Ok, you are right.

Gray wasn't very good on Wednesday, I agree, but I can't say many others were any good either, Daggers lads included. I thought best player on the pitch was Thompson, maybe not so much for quality, but he did what was asked of him, which by the looks of it was to work hard and win headers. Doyle looks tired, Jones was his normal self, decent, but sometimes gets caught on the ball, Hines was ok, upto their box, then gets lost in what he was trying to achieve, and then loses the ball, reid can't cross, 1 good cross in 20 isn't good enough, Darby was decent to say he was out of position, McCardle did ok, but lacked ambition in overlapping Hines, even Davies made some very dodgy decisions at times, and Nelson struggled to clear a ball without it hitting his shin instead of his boot, and Wells looks tired, 22 or not, anyone can burn out. So I think blaming Andy Gray for all the teams deficiencies on Wed, is a little harsh

Some good reasoned posts on here, apart from peter300, who rarely makes an original post but makes "clever dick" responses, which generally contain inaccurate statements.

l'll add my name to the clamour for Connell to be given an opportunity. He has a good footballing brain and I think it's scandalous that he's been limited to the odd cameo rule, given our bad run, and PP's apparent patience in persevering with other inferior quality members of the squad.

Defeat tomorrow will almost certainly put paid to any lingering hopes of promotion. In such an event, I'd like to see Scott Brown given some game time in the remainder of the season.

My issue with Parkinson is that, due to the cup run(s), he has been rotating his squad quite a bit, yet Doyle & Jones have not been rested. They are the players most likely to need a break. It's alright resting a striker that played just a hour and another that didn't get much opportunity to stretch his legs, but what about resting the two boys that do the most running?

The fact is, Gray is not going to score the goals needed to propel us into the play-offs. He may be a useful foil for Connell or Wells, but not alongside the likes of Thommo or Hanson. Personally, I think PP missed a trick in January, when we desperately needed to sign a proven lower league striker. Now, we are left with Wells as our only prolific striker (since he refuses to give Connell a run).

And then he asks us to trust him as we slump down the table.....! How many points have we collected since Christmas???? This isn't promotion form, it's more like relegation...!

York is getting close to last chance saloon ...winning needs to become habitual ...we need at least 9 wins from 14 games ..

we need to go for it at York ...

whisky1 wrote:

Prisoner Cell Block A wrote:

macca1969 wrote:

Michael Clayton wrote:

Peter300 wrote:

macca1969 wrote: I understand the need for change but its hard to trust when you see the lack of quality in the new look team, aka andy gray who is total pants.

Andy's a good player. It's you that's total pants. You wanted Parkinson sacked. It's on the record.

Peter300. If you are going to make reference to what was said then you need to prove it. Otherwise, your accusations are unsubstantiated.

He won't because he can't, he also says dannbrad called for parky to be sacked also FALSE as dank like myself hate the continuing chopping and changing of managers. I checked all the archives from last year after disappointing results and the harshest comments I made were he was lucky to still be in a job with a performance like that. Now although negative and a criticism that was not me asking him to be sacked, only that after the results we had had and that performance other chairmen would and could have sacked him. I still am behind parky and the team he picks is down to him, that does not as a fan exclude me of an opinion that I think Gray is past it.

Don't even try justify yourself mate, the guy is a twerp. You have every right to be critical, negative and downright angry and you have the right to vent those feelings on here but the difference being, if you do you will be able to back your posts with reasons.(I'm not saying you are a negatron...not heard it for a while) Keep em coming macca, may not always agree 100% with you but I always appreciate where you are coming from because you include your reasoning. As does Dan, waynus and a few other enlightened posters.

So far your judgement on Gray is based on a handful of games..obviously somewhat premature? Forgive me personally i prefer Parkys judgement that he is a model pro and a great influence in the dressing room. You just carry on sticking the boot in may well be good motivation for the lad.

Agree with you whiskey.playing with Hanson Is one style. Gray another, personally I haven't been that impressed with gray but ffs give him a chance.

Where does the justification come from for claiming players are tired and need a rest. Is this a subjective judgement by the Manager or is it based on objective measurement of physiological conditions of the players? Why not cut out physical training if some of the players are NOT recovering from competitive games in time for the next match rather than have them miss a game and disturb the team dynamics?

I can't understand how professional players aren't able to recover from a game after at least 3 days rest (injuries apart) when they are so carefully conditioned and have been training for months! There must be records of each players VO2 max, resting pulse rate and maximum heart rate etc. on which to compare and judge whether a player's fitness has declined or is increasing during the season and whether or not there resting pulse is back to normal after previous exertions.

I would guess that the manager is making decisions based on what the fitness checks are revealing and possible feedback from players. If they are not using the available technology to aid their decisions re fitness and recovery then that would undermine some of the credibility of those decisions.

On a different point, this season has been a massive improvement on the last two or three seasons. However, many of the posts I read, on the various articles, do not appear to appreciate this. There has been some great football and good entertainment, some good Cup runs, a 'serious' Cup Final resulting -for the first time in many years- in this Club being in a financially comfortable position and a bringing together of a community in sharing pride in their City and local Club. Parkin was correct, in my opinion, there is far too much pessimism from supporters.

For me, all the positives this season have totally eclipsed all the negatives. As the season moves on things will either get better, worsen or stay more or the less the same as they are. However, barring relegation from this league, I will still regard this season as being the best for quite some years. It is a foundation on which to build further progress -how long has Parkinson been at the Club?

lonniejockstrap wrote:
Where does the justification come from for claiming players are tired and need a rest. Is this a subjective judgement by the Manager or is it based on objective measurement of physiological conditions of the players? Why not cut out physical training if some of the players are NOT recovering from competitive games in time for the next match rather than have them miss a game and disturb the team dynamics?

I can't understand how professional players aren't able to recover from a game after at least 3 days rest (injuries apart) when they are so carefully conditioned and have been training for months! There must be records of each players VO2 max, resting pulse rate and maximum heart rate etc. on which to compare and judge whether a player's fitness has declined or is increasing during the season and whether or not there resting pulse is back to normal after previous exertions.

I would guess that the manager is making decisions based on what the fitness checks are revealing and possible feedback from players. If they are not using the available technology to aid their decisions re fitness and recovery then that would undermine some of the credibility of those decisions.

On a different point, this season has been a massive improvement on the last two or three seasons. However, many of the posts I read, on the various articles, do not appear to appreciate this. There has been some great football and good entertainment, some good Cup runs, a 'serious' Cup Final resulting -for the first time in many years- in this Club being in a financially comfortable position and a bringing together of a community in sharing pride in their City and local Club. Parkin was correct, in my opinion, there is far too much pessimism from supporters.

For me, all the positives this season have totally eclipsed all the negatives. As the season moves on things will either get better, worsen or stay more or the less the same as they are. However, barring relegation from this league, I will still regard this season as being the best for quite some years. It is a foundation on which to build further progress -how long has Parkinson been at the Club?

Personally I do think that they look tired, devoid of ideas and going through the motions. So far it has been an unusual season with lots of football played and a lot of bad luck with injuries. And I echo what others have said about needing a Dave syers type player. I agree that the squad is much better and so has the football but think that promotion this season is a big ask. Very optimistic for next season thought.

....'Wembley 2 The Return' currently being filmed on location in York will be available for release in May.....produced by Parkinson & Parkin it is the tale of a group of League climbers taking on the ascent of Mount Playoff.....many struggles lie ahead but the story is one of heartwarming collaboration between the climbers themselves and their support team, all pulling together in one final push for the summit.....well worth making the time for this one and another success story coming out of Valley Parade Promotions!

This is the first time this season parky as looked for excuses. Think it might be time to panic. We have a good defence so why the need for so much protection? We simply don't shoot enough nor have enough bodies in their box or even near it. Parky is changing due to the system failing not due to tiredness......imo. I yold you. there was no goals from midfield and that gray was a poor signing. We needed an attscking midfielder and more creation. We will not go up playing this way and its been clear for some time. Hoping for one nils rarely gets enough points.....

lonniejockstrap wrote:
Where does the justification come from for claiming players are tired and need a rest. Is this a subjective judgement by the Manager or is it based on objective measurement of physiological conditions of the players? Why not cut out physical training if some of the players are NOT recovering from competitive games in time for the next match rather than have them miss a game and disturb the team dynamics?

I can't understand how professional players aren't able to recover from a game after at least 3 days rest (injuries apart) when they are so carefully conditioned and have been training for months! There must be records of each players VO2 max, resting pulse rate and maximum heart rate etc. on which to compare and judge whether a player's fitness has declined or is increasing during the season and whether or not there resting pulse is back to normal after previous exertions.

I would guess that the manager is making decisions based on what the fitness checks are revealing and possible feedback from players. If they are not using the available technology to aid their decisions re fitness and recovery then that would undermine some of the credibility of those decisions.

On a different point, this season has been a massive improvement on the last two or three seasons. However, many of the posts I read, on the various articles, do not appear to appreciate this. There has been some great football and good entertainment, some good Cup runs, a 'serious' Cup Final resulting -for the first time in many years- in this Club being in a financially comfortable position and a bringing together of a community in sharing pride in their City and local Club. Parkin was correct, in my opinion, there is far too much pessimism from supporters.

For me, all the positives this season have totally eclipsed all the negatives. As the season moves on things will either get better, worsen or stay more or the less the same as they are. However, barring relegation from this league, I will still regard this season as being the best for quite some years. It is a foundation on which to build further progress -how long has Parkinson been at the Club?

Lonnie, you make some very reasoned points in the above post, in particular, the fitness issue and PPs decision to rest some players whilst leaving in others. It has definitely been a much better season that of late. However, withe the finance and players at his disposal, do we not take it for granted that this season should be significantly better?

The one point I do disagree with is that the cup run has safe-guarded our immediate future. Because it looks a huge ask to get promoted this season, we have gained NOTHING but the excitement of the cup run, Wembley and the finance available to retain this squad. After that, the money has gone.

We were initially told by Baldwin that the total money from the cup amounts to around £2m. According to Lawn, we paid off this season's over-spend, players bonuses, trips to Vegas & Tenerife (?) and leaves us with around £700k. This being around the amount of this season's overspend. So, realistically, the cup run had simply paid for us to have another crack at it next season, that is if the likes of Duke, Davies, McHugh, Doyle ET al want to stay

J4CKO wrote:
I think its really important that as fans we dont all start picking out individuals and subjecting them to criticism at each and every turn. Its frustrating to see the lads struggling to win a game at home and there are some definite failings with the current squad but we have to trust the manager to get it right. Some of his selections have been baffling to us lesser mortals and im not sure PP knows his best team to be honest. That being said we must make sure we move forward together and use the revenue created from the cup run to strengthen the club for the future. Promotion this season is not the be all and end all providing we act with intelligence in the summer. The manager needs to get his contract sorted quickly and then everybody can settle down and we can concentrate on the football for the next few years at least.

Well said, my friend.

Waynus1971 wrote:

lonniejockstrap wrote:
Where does the justification come from for claiming players are tired and need a rest. Is this a subjective judgement by the Manager or is it based on objective measurement of physiological conditions of the players? Why not cut out physical training if some of the players are NOT recovering from competitive games in time for the next match rather than have them miss a game and disturb the team dynamics?

I can't understand how professional players aren't able to recover from a game after at least 3 days rest (injuries apart) when they are so carefully conditioned and have been training for months! There must be records of each players VO2 max, resting pulse rate and maximum heart rate etc. on which to compare and judge whether a player's fitness has declined or is increasing during the season and whether or not there resting pulse is back to normal after previous exertions.

I would guess that the manager is making decisions based on what the fitness checks are revealing and possible feedback from players. If they are not using the available technology to aid their decisions re fitness and recovery then that would undermine some of the credibility of those decisions.

On a different point, this season has been a massive improvement on the last two or three seasons. However, many of the posts I read, on the various articles, do not appear to appreciate this. There has been some great football and good entertainment, some good Cup runs, a 'serious' Cup Final resulting -for the first time in many years- in this Club being in a financially comfortable position and a bringing together of a community in sharing pride in their City and local Club. Parkin was correct, in my opinion, there is far too much pessimism from supporters.

For me, all the positives this season have totally eclipsed all the negatives. As the season moves on things will either get better, worsen or stay more or the less the same as they are. However, barring relegation from this league, I will still regard this season as being the best for quite some years. It is a foundation on which to build further progress -how long has Parkinson been at the Club?

Lonnie, you make some very reasoned points in the above post, in particular, the fitness issue and PPs decision to rest some players whilst leaving in others. It has definitely been a much better season that of late. However, withe the finance and players at his disposal, do we not take it for granted that this season should be significantly better?

The one point I do disagree with is that the cup run has safe-guarded our immediate future. Because it looks a huge ask to get promoted this season, we have gained NOTHING but the excitement of the cup run, Wembley and the finance available to retain this squad. After that, the money has gone.

We were initially told by Baldwin that the total money from the cup amounts to around £2m. According to Lawn, we paid off this season's over-spend, players bonuses, trips to Vegas & Tenerife (?) and leaves us with around £700k. This being around the amount of this season's overspend. So, realistically, the cup run had simply paid for us to have another crack at it next season, that is if the likes of Duke, Davies, McHugh, Doyle ET al want to stay

Hi waynus.

You say: 'However, with the finance and players at his disposal, do we not take it for granted that this season should be significantly better?'. Are you suggesting that when he delivers on the investment made by the Chairmen we shouldn't acknowledge this? What about the investment other managers received but -for one reason or another- did not improve on the previous season, for those that took it for granted that investment equalled success it must have been excruciating frustrating and disappointing to have been let down! Not sure I would take anything for granted and there are certainly no guarantees. Professional football is a business, and for a manager to have delivered such a financial return for his 'shareholders' investment should be seen as a successful term in anybody's eyes. The financial sustainability of Bradford City is more important to me than getting promoted out of this division. As much as I would love us to get promoted I would not see that as being successful if the cost was administration. I trust the Chairmen to make the right financial decisions which sometimes may well involve affordable overspending and running on a manageable deficit. When the Club ends up financially like it is at the moment then I can only see that in an optimistic light.

I doubt you will change my optimistic view, but can you tell me why being £700k in pocket after paying off £700k overspend -if your info is correct- does not amount to being in a more financially comfortable position for many a year? Would we have been in a more financially comfortable position if we were in a negative £700k position on top of similar further investment to this year required for next season? Would there be a greater or lesser chance of keeping some of the players you mention without the positive financial position of being £700k in pocket? I'm just thinking, that after all the positives that this season has delivered for City fans that your way of seeing the situation is another example of the sort of 'pessimism' that Parkin was referring too?